Surface maintenance machines that perform surface maintenance or surface conditioning tasks are well known. Such machines are generally useful for treating or maintaining a surface. The term surface, as used herein, generally refers to any support surface, (e.g., floors, pavements, road surfaces, ship decks, and the like). Surface maintenance machines can perform tasks such as sweeping, scrubbing, and polishing (e.g., burnishing). Machines may additionally include vacuum elements to remove dirt, debris, and liquids (e.g., floor cleaning solution, water and the like). Some surface maintenance machines may perform multiple types of surface maintenance tasks.
Surface maintenance machines commonly include a driver assembly which includes a working appliance or tool (e.g., a pad or brush), coupled to a driver that is rotatably driven by a motor assembly. The driver assembly may be selectively raised and lowered by an actuator to transition between a raised position (during transport or storage) and a lowered position (while performing a surface maintenance task). Prior to performing a surface maintenance task, the assembly may be lowered into the lowered position.
Surface maintenance machines performing a burnishing task generally include a mechanism for controlling the degree of burnishing (e.g., to meet a sufficient level of floor finish). When burnishing floors, the burnishing pad is typically leveled against the floor surface, such that every part of the pad maintains an equal distance from the floor surface. It is often the case that brushes and pads wear unevenly over time if the head assembly is not leveled (e.g., due to manufacturing tolerances in various fasteners and components of the head assembly), or an uneven pad surface. In such cases a technician may attempt to level the head assembly to compensate for such variations.